Search, Healthcare, Education, Security Present A Generational Opportunity: Google CIO

Though Google is looking at powering various verticals with Artificial Intelligence (AI), its primary focus remains on online searches. In an interview with Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni, at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York on Tuesday, Ruth Porat, Alphabet's President and Chief Investment Officer, said, “The biggest bet we continue to make is actually the application of AI to search and continuing to evolve that experience.” She added, “And we're meeting people where they want to be met. You can do search, you just take a photo through how many of you are almost afraid to ask. How many of you have used Google Lens or you take a photo and beautiful walk down to the streets? You find something you're interested in. You take a photo. Immediately you'll get information. Where can you access it? It's a fabulous way of searching, so that remains important.” Alphabet, which makes much of its over $300 billion in annual revenue from search-related advertising, has injected AI-generated overviews to queries with no obvious answer, in one example of its efforts. The move followed competition from ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and has required Google to navigate tricky terrain, in which AI sometimes makes up information in what are called "hallucinations."